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Nike Alphafly marathon shoes cleared for competition; Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2 shoes grounded

Nike will release a version of its scrutinized, record-breaking marathon Vaporfly shoes — the “Alphafly” — at the end of this month. It will meet new legal standards to be used in competition such as the Olympics, according to the apparel giant.

When Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours on Oct. 12 — in a non-sanctioned event — he wore a prototype of the Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, unusually tall shoes. That specific pair is illegal to use in competition under new rules because it is thicker than 40 millimeters, Nike confirmed on Thursday.